LEXINGTON – While the winter may have wreaked havoc on many desirable plants, it did little to affect crabgrass, the most common weed in Kentucky lawns.

“Crabgrass is an annual weed that outcompetes desirable grasses and then dies in the fall, leaving bare spots in yards for winter weeds to fill in,” said Gregg Munshaw, extension turf specialist in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. “The cycle keeps repeating itself until the turf stand gets poorer and poorer.”

Munshaw said the best way to control summer annual grassy weeds, including crabgrass, is to apply a pre-emergent herbicide before the weed germinates. Now is the time to do so.

“April 15 has traditionally been the latest date to apply pre-emergent herbicides in Central Kentucky,” Munshaw said. “Western Kentucky’s deadline is usually a few days earlier, and Eastern Kentucky’s time frame usually ends a few days later.”

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